A remnant of Earth's Cambrian Period has been unearthed in almost pristine condition.

A 520-million-year-old sea monster that prowled the oceans during the Cambrian Period has been unearthed in China. Dubbed Lyrarapax unguispinus, this new species was one of the first predators of its time and sported compound eyes, body armor, and two spiked claws for capturing and wounding potential prey. The remains found by researchers were about 6 inches (15 centimeters) long.

Most life before the Cambrian Period resembled simple algae and immobile jellyfish-like life forms. During the Cambrian explosion (which lasted between 543 million and 493 million years ago) a period of rapid evolution occurred and biodiversity exploded. The result was swimming sea creatures reminiscent of crustaceans- complete with compound eyes, jointed legs and hard exoskeletons. The period also gave rise to shrimp-like anomalocaridids that were equipped with bladed body armor and a cone-shaped mouth made of concentric plates. They were the top predators of the Cambrian seas, and could grow up to 6 feet long.

Peiyun Cong, a researcher at Yunnan University in China, said that most anomalocaridid specimens paleontologists have found thus far were poorly preserved and difficult to incorporate specifically into the tree of life. In the last several years, researchers unearthed three immaculately preserved specimens of the new species of Lyrarapax unguispinus in fossil sediments located in China. The sediments had frozen these creatures in a way that preserved the entire nervous system, sections of the gut and some muscles- making them visible.

Because its brain lacks some characteristic features, the creature likely shared more similarities with a group known as velvet worms. It is also possible the animal could have grown to be much bigger. Cong said, "The three known specimens may represent immature stages of the animal, so it might be larger."

Cold blooded predator or cushy crustacean? Let us know in the comments!

Blackwell Stith:The period also gave rise to shrimp-like anomalocaridids that were equipped with bladed body armor and a cone-shaped mouth made of concentric plates. They were the top predators of the Cambrian seas, and could grow up to 6 feet long.

gigastar:I hope im not the only one with "CLONE IT" going through thier head?

Lets not do that! For all we know this creature may have the predatory instincts of an earwig. Would you want a 6 inch crustacean trying to burrow into your body? The stuff of horrors right there!

Well, I now have plans for my Skullcrusher Mountain...thank you! :D

OT: This is neat. I sincerely hope that, yes, it's a legit thing, but I can't help but think that this might just be a hoax. :\

That is my first thought, it is out of China and they have already done enough hoaxes as far as fossils are concerned. I think it needs plenty of scrutiny before being decided that it's real. It doesn't sound real considering finding any soft tissue in fossilized remains is near impossible and brains rot incredibly quickly or dry out and turn to powder unless properly stored.

gigastar:I hope im not the only one with "CLONE IT" going through thier head?

Not possible. It's a fossil. It's minerals shaped like it looked, but these minerals are so well-defined that we can see what its brain and nervous system looked like.

is there no way to extract DNA? i heard partial dinosaur DNA was extracted from fossils....

Only in fiction. It's too long ago, even if we found some frozen in permafrost, it's so old, that it would have decayed completely by now. Fossils are as noted just minerals in the shape of dead organisms. Scientists have been lucky to get framents of DNA out of 10,000 year old frozen mammoths. In permanent -5C°, DNA decays completely in about 6.8 million years. That's not even as fossil, that's if we found actual frozen dino, which we never have.

Yeah the montana find, the one with protein, collagen and amino acids. No DNA.

That's of course if the finds aren't due to contaminants, it's not completely clear, and the issue is contested. Indeed the only group other than the ones claiming it, who finds it makes total sense, are creationists...

Yeah the montana find, the one with protein, collagen and amino acids. No DNA.

That's of course if the finds aren't due to contaminants, it's not completely clear, and the issue is contested. Indeed the only group other than the ones claiming it, who finds it makes total sense, are creationists...